Tool’s Maynard James Keenan Wears Drag At Florida’s Welcome To Rockville Festival

Tool headlined Florida’s Welcome To Rockville festival on Sunday, days after Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed laws that according to the Associated Press, “ban gender-affirming care for minors, target drag shows, restrict discussion of personal pronouns in schools and force people to use certain bathrooms.” In likely defiance of the newly passed legislation, Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan performed while wearing a blonde wig, makeup on his face and artificial breasts.

As noted by Consequence, due to the newly passed bill’s language preventing minors from attending drag performances and the Daytona Beach festival being all-ages, Keenan was in apparent violation of the controversial law.

Keenan frequently wears costumes and other ornate clothing while onstage. Sunday’s outfit and makeup was not one of the vocalist’s typical looks.

Tool’s Welcome To Rockville set was the band’s first public performance of 2023. The band will perform at this weekend’s Sonic Temple festival in Columbus. Additional festival appearances planned for this year include Louisville’s Louder Than Life in September and Aftershock in Sacramento and Power Trip in Indio, California in October.

Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan and James McNew similarly dressed in drag while performing recently in Nashville. Their action was taken in apparent response to a similar bill targeting drag shows that passed in Tennessee.